Is Secondary the Primary Concern?

Ohio State cornerback Bradley Roby has the athleticism and attitude that could provide an upgrade to the Eagles' secondary. Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images.

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There is at least one legitimate reason to be skeptical about Chip Kelly's pedal-to-the-metal approach to offense: It forces your defense back out on the field awfully quick.

Kelly's never going to be a kill-the-clock kind of coach. But running an offense at break-neck speed will subject your own defense to facing a lot of snaps, with not a lot of time between series. And if your defense has a decifiency, it will be exposed for longer chunks of time.

Nobody in the NFL faced more pass attempts than the Eagles. Opponents threw the ball 42 times a game against Philadelphia. No team gave up more passing yardage, and only three teams allowed more pass plays of at least 20 yards.

Finding help for an overworked, often overmatched secondary was a priority this offseason, which is why Philadelphia signed cornerback Nolan Carroll and free safety Malcolm Jenkins. The draft will be the next opportunity to add depth and upgrade talent,

This is not a particularly deep class for safeties. If Calvin Pryor and Ha'Sean Clinton-Dix are gone by the time the Eagles are on the clock (No. 22), there's not a strong safety to consider until the third round, when Craig Loston or Deone Bucannon likely will be available.

So, perhaps they take advantage of a top-heavy cornerback class and grab rising prospect Kyle Fuller or Bradley Roby, the kind of athlete who seemingly would be a great fit for Kelly. Neither would be considered a reach at 22.